We’ve a range of cruises available in October, so, no matter what your ideal holiday looks like, you’ll find it with us. In October, we normally travel to the Canary Islands, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Norway, and Spain and Portugal.

If large crowds aren’t your thing, an October cruise might be just your sort of holiday; the travellers drawn in by the summer months have largely dispersed by October, meaning you’ve plenty of space to roam. What’s more – reduced crowds often lead to reduced prices on shore, and who doesn’t want to save themselves a pretty penny or two? In the northern hemisphere, this month also tends to mean cooler weather, so if you’d take breezier climes over bask-in-it sunshine, consider October for a cruise holiday. Of course, in regions like the Med, you’ll still find a taste of summer as the weather tends to still be very warm here during October, so if you want a summer holiday away from the crowds or t-shirt weather without melting, an October cruise can give you all that and more.

While in the northern hemisphere October means cooler weather, golden hues and breezes with bite, the Med does autumn fairly differently. In October, the Med is still very warm, with sunshine aplenty and refreshingly cool evenings. Because of this, we’d recommend packing:

• Swimming costume/swim shorts
• Sunscreen with high SPF rating
• Casual shirt and trousers/skirt or dress (for some evenings on board)
• Cover-up or similar, e.g., canvas trousers and loose-fitting tops (dark or bright colours are better at absorbing UV rays)
• Sunglasses
• A hat for sun protection
• Shorts
• T-shirts
• Long-sleeved shirts
• A light jumper
• Trousers
• Flip-flops or sandals
• A good book
• A light jumper (for the cooler evenings)
• Walking shoes
• Your dinner jacket, cocktail dress or ballgown (for our Black Tie evening)

With mild and temperate lows and warm, sunny highs, a cruise to Spain in October is the perfect way to get a last taste of summer before it leaves. We’d recommend bringing along:

• Swimming costume/swim shorts
• Sunscreen with high SPF rating
• Sunglasses
• A hat for sun protection
• Casual shirt and trousers/skirt or dress (for some evenings on board)
• Cover-up or similar, e.g., canvas trousers and loose-fitting tops (dark or bright colours are better at absorbing UV rays)
• Shorts
• T-shirts
• Trousers
• Long-sleeved shirts
• A light jumper
• Flip-flops or sandals
• A good book
• Walking shoes
• Your dinner jacket, cocktail dress or ballgown (for our Black Tie evening)

Cold weather and breezes that bite are what you’ll find in Norway in October, so you’ll want to pack to keep warm so you can make the most of the incredibly picturesque surroundings. We’d recommend bringing along:

• Layers
• Jumpers
• Long-sleeved tops
• Casual shirt and trousers/skirt or dress (for some evenings on board)
• Waterproof or water-resistant trousers
• Sunscreen and lip-balm with SPF (if travelling to a snowy region)
• Salopettes, goggles and sunglasses (if travelling to a snowy region)
• Winter jacket
• Thermals
• Boots
• Winter accessories, e.g., scarves, hats and gloves
• Your dinner jacket, cocktail dress or ballgown (for our Black Tie evening)

In October, Northern Europe climes range from fairly chilly to just shy of temperate, changing unpredictably at a moment’s notice. Because of this, we’d recommend packing to cover your bases. Here’s what we’d bring along:

• Layers
• Jumpers
• Long-sleeved tops
• Casual shirt and trousers/skirt or dress (for some evenings on board)
• Waterproof or water-resistant trousers
• Winter jacket
• Thermals
• Boots
• Winter accessories, e.g., scarves, hats and gloves
• Your dinner jacket, cocktail dress or ballgown (for our Black Tie evening)

In October, Spain can grow quite toasty, with fairly mild lows. In Cartagena, highs can creep all the way up to a hot 28°C with average lows of 18°C, plus nine days of rainfall. Alicante averages highs of 25°C, lows of 15°C, with only two days of rainfall. With double the amount of rain for October, Málaga clocks in with highs of 24°C and lows of 15°C. Valencia also averages highs of 24°C, lows of 13°C and just three days of rainfall. Barcelona tends not to dip below 17°C, can climb to highs of 23°C and expects just short of a week’s worth of rainfall for the month at a total of six days. Similarly, Cádiz clocks in with the same temperatures, but with five days of rainfall. 

If you’re visiting Norway in October, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got everything you need to stay warm because it can get very chilly indeed. With over two weeks of rain for the month at a total of sixteen days, Stavanger experiences average highs of 12°C and lows of 7°C. Åndalsnes has rain for twelve days in the month, and clocks in with highs of 9°C and lows of 4°C. Tromsø expects three more days of rain and is a little cooler on average, with highs of 5°C and lows of 1°C. It rains in Alta for only nine days in total for the month, and clocks in with highs of 4°C and lows a chilly -1°C.

On the whole, Northern Europe in October is fairly temperate, though it can get chilly enough that you’ll want to make sure you’ve packed your coat. Bruges and Rotterdam clock in with highs of 15°C and eleven days of rainfall for the month, though Bruges averages lows of 9°C and Rotterdam can creep down to 7°C. Hamburg also dips to average lows of 7°C, though with ten days of rainfall and highs that can reach 13°C.

The Canary Islands feature steady warmth and sunshine pretty much all year round, so you’ll want to base your luggage around staying safe and keeping cool under the sun. We’d recommend bringing along:

• Swimming costume/swim shorts
• Sunscreen with high SPF rating
• Sunglasses
• A hat for sun protection
• Casual shirt and trousers/skirt or dress (for some evenings on board)
• Cover-up or similar, e.g., canvas trousers and loose-fitting tops (dark or bright colours are better at absorbing UV rays)
• Shorts
• T-shirts
• Trousers
• Long-sleeved shirts
• A light jumper
• Flip-flops or sandals
• A good book
• Walking shoes
• Your dinner jacket, cocktail dress or ballgown (for our Black Tie evening)

If you’re a lover of the cloudless skies and hot climes sort of holiday, the Caribbean in October is for you. You’ll want to base your luggage around protective gear to stay safe under the sun and light clothing garments to keep yourself cool. We’d recommend bringing along:

• Swimming costume/swim shorts
• Sunscreen with high SPF rating
• Sunglasses
• Casual shirt and trousers/skirt or dress (for some evenings on board)
• Cover-up or similar, e.g., canvas trousers and loose-fitting tops (dark or bright colours are better at absorbing UV rays)
• A hat for sun protection
• Shorts
• T-shirts
• Flip-flops or sandals
• A good book
• Walking shoes
• Your dinner jacket, cocktail dress or ballgown (for our Black Tie evening)

In October, the Caribbean’s all gleaming blue skies and golden sands, with gorgeous hot weather to top it off. St Lucia and St Vincent expect highs and lows of 31°C and 25°C, and rain for eighteen days. Though St Kitts has rain for twenty days of the month and Barbados for fifteen, the regions share average highs and lows of 31°C and 24°C. Antigua is only a fraction cooler on average, with highs and lows of 30°C and 24°C respectively, plus thirteen days of rain.

In October, the Mediterranean’s still dashed through with a sense of summer. Expecting just five days of rain for the month, Malta clocks in with average highs and lows of 25°C and 18°C respectively. Also with five days of rain, Gibraltar dips to temperate lows of 17°C and highs of 23°C, while Greece is nearly identical save lows of 16°C. Spain expects highs of 23°C and lows of 15°C with six days of rain. Italy averages respectable highs of 22°C for the month, with lows of 15°C and a week’s worth of rainfall, while France has rain for six days of the month and clocks in with highs of 21°C and lows of 13°C. Also with six days of rain for October, Monaco averages lows of 15°C and highs of 20°C.

In October, you can still sense the summer in Portugal, although some days are much cooler than others. While Lisbon clocks in with average highs of 23°C and lows of 15°C and expects eight days of rain for the month, Madeira averages highs of 17°C, lows of 11°C and nine days of rain for October.